SPAR Proteas confident heading into remainder of England series

January 30, 2026 13

SPAR Proteas head coach, Jenny van Dyk, says she is pleased with her teams resilience after they held their nerve to secure a 52–48 victory over England in the opening match of the Spar Challenge at Ellis Park.

The win has boosted the Proteas’ as they prepare for the remainder of the three-match Test series against the Roses, with the second encounter set for Saturday.

Speaking after the match, Van Dyk praised both her players’ composure and the support from the home crowd.

“Definitely that is one of the most important components of sports and that’s something that we talk about quite a lot and it’s something that we train quite a lot. We’re always aware of the score, always aware of the time, it doesn’t matter if we are just having a run around on the court, an easy session or whether we have the most complex session,” van Dyk said.

Van Dyk also celebrated a major milestone for Nicola Smith, who earned her 50th cap in green and gold. She highlighted her sacrifices for the national team.

“We want to say thank you, I don’t think a lot of people understand how much it takes out for the players to be able to perform at this level for such a long time. As a youngster she did get game time and she’s becoming such a strong, reliable player for us. So, thank you Nicola for the 50 caps and here’s to 50 more,” the coach added.

50 caps of passion, pride and purpose. 🇿🇦
We celebrate you, Nicola! 💚💛#SPARChallenge #SPARProteas #WeAreAllIn pic.twitter.com/L3fXAhUD5n

— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) January 30, 2026

You brought the energy, they delivered. 👊🇿🇦
We go again. 💚💛

🇿🇦🆚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
Saturday, 31 Jan. 17:00
Sunday, 1 Feb. 16:00

Can’t join us at Ellis Park? Catch the action live — and on repeat — on @SuperSportTV your World of Champions!
#SPARProteas #WeAreAllIn #SPARChallenge pic.twitter.com/049nqEtsym

— Netball South Africa (@Netball_SA) January 30, 2026